Show Me the Money!
In my various corporate and educational incarnations, I went to a few Christmas parties. As an introvert, these were uniformly unpleasant events for me. Usually they were dress-up events, at a time in my life (some would argue that time has not ended) when dressing up was something I was not particularly skilled at. Add to the fact that all strata of the company were gathered together, and I often found it more intimidating than social. Often I thought that I would much rather have had a modest $50 or $100 (or more, of course!) bonus - my share of what was probably spent on the liquor and food and ambiance for the event.
Would you rather party or have a few extra bucks in your pocket at Christmas time? Did you feel that way when the economy was better, or has a tighter economy inclined you more towards receiving cash instead of camaraderie?
When I was "gainfully" employed,(12+ years ago) I worked for a rather large company. We had a Christmas party for all the offices which included Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Camarillo. The parties were held at very "fancy" hotels and I loved it because I'm sure I'd never see the likes of the Beverly Hilton on my own! But most of all, I enjoyed spending time with the people I talked with on the telephone during the year. We also received a modest bonus. The company I worked for was having a "hay day" in those years and I've since learned that they have trimmed down the parties. When my husband and another man owned a business, they had two parties. One for our customers and one for the employees (about 200) who were scattered around Southern California. I'm sure our customers enjoyed the parties but I'm sure the employees would have enjoyed a modest bonus because some of them had to travel many miles for the party. The party for our customers was in the evening and included wine; however, the employee party was a luncheon at the main office which was decorated with many beautiful trees which were donated to a local shelter for battered women and children.
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I hadn't really thought about situations where you'd be getting to meet people that you interacted with in different locales - that must have been quite the shindig! Did the company provide transport for all those folks to the central party location?!
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Actually, the company did not have those big partys every year but when they did, they flew the people from Las Vegas and San Diego to Los Angeles. Those were the days!
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